The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

1. So it’s official: Joaquin Phoenix was faking it for the past two years in the name of performance art. The real question is, can you muster the energy to pretend that you still care? [via NYT]
2. Sacha Baron Cohen will play Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in a film that’s being scripted by Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon). [via Deadline]
3. Inspired by the success of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, Brian Fuller (Pushing Daisies, Dead Like Me) is writing the script for a new live action version of Pinocchio. Expect it to be awesome. [via Variety]
4. Jon Stewart announced last night that he’ll lead a rally on Washington on October 30 to encourage angry citizens to “stop shouting, throwing and drawing Hitler mustaches on people other than Hitler.” Meanwhile, Stephen Colbert will be holding a “March to Keep Fear Alive” in the same exact spot on the same day. [via PopEater]
5. Oprah is covering the costs of everything for her audience’s all-expenses-paid Australian giveaway — including passport costs for people who can’t afford them and the IRS taxes on the prize. [via TMZ]